Darlington sewer blocked with 57 vapes squashed into pipe

Northumbrian Water have warned customers to dispose of waste properly after 57 used vapes were found to have blocked a sewage pipe.

Workers found the items after receiving reports of a blocked sewer in the West End of Darlington in August.

The devices, which were squashed in the pipe, were removed from the system before a routine pipework cleanse was carried out.

Simon Cyhanko, Head of Wastewater Networks at Northumbrian Water, said: “The teams often find all sorts down in the sewers, but it’s the first time we have seen something on this scale.

“As well as causing blockages, vapes are also possible explosive devices and have the potential to be dangerous. Thankfully though, with the hard work of our teams, they were able to be removed quickly and safely without environmental impact, and we are working to identify and educate those responsible.

“We often see things in the sewers that shouldn’t really be there, so we would like to remind customers that only paper, pee and poo go down the loo.

“As well as the strange things we have found in our network, our biggest cause of sewer blockages still is wipes, so please remember to Bin the Wipe in order to help our teams on the ground.”

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